Dental apparatus



May 30, 1933. o. H; PIE PER DENTAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 15, 1929 sSheets- 1 a er H ik Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcaApplication filed November 15, 1929. Serial No. 407,526.

The present invention relates to dental 8 is a detailed section taken online apparatus and more particularly to a spray- 8a8a of Fig. 4:; ingdevice together with means for supplying Fig. 9 is a top plan View ofthe heating both warm and cold water under pressure for unit with thefluid holding container respraying purposes, as required for examplemoved; by the dental profession under diflerent con- Fig. 10 is a bottomplan of. the container ditions in the treatment and care of the showingthe thermostat thereon for regulatteeth, one object being to provideimproved ing the supply of current to the heating coil;

means of this class which is compact, conven- Fig. 11 is a verticalsection taken online 9 ient to operate and eflicient in service. lla llaof Fig. 9; r 6

A further object of the invention is to pro- Fig. 12 is an enlargedvertical sectlon vide an improved valve construction for contaken online 12a-12a, of Fig. 3 showing the trolling and regulating the flow ofthe warm means for locking the fluid holding containand cold water inits passage to and from the er within the heater;

fluid holding container. Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary sec- 65 Afurther object of the invention is to protional elevation of thecoupling by which the vide improved means for looking or holding nozzletube is connected with the outlet pasthe container in position upon thesupporting sage of the fluid holding container; means therefor. Fig. 14is a fragmentary part sectional ele- A further object is to provideimprovevation of the spray head and its supporting ments in theconstruction of the electric heatarm;

ing apparatus for the fluid holding container. Fig. 15 is a fragmentarysection of a modi- A still further object of the invention isfiedarrangement for holding the operating to provide an improved conduitfor conveyarm against turning on the stem of the valve ing the fluidfrom the container to the nozzle which controls the outlet passage ofthe fluid of the spray head. holding container; and i To these and otherends the'invention re- Fig. 16, is an enlarged transverse section sidesin certain improvements and combinataken on line IGCL-lfid of Fig. 15. Ir tions of parts, all as will be hereinafter more Similar referencenumerals throughout the fully described. the novel features beingseveral views indicate the same parts. 3 pointed out in the claims atthe end of the In the practice of dentistry it is frequentlyspecification. necessary when filling, pulling or treating the In thedrawings: teeth to flush or cleanse the mouth with a suit- Fig. 1 is aview in elevation of a device emable fluid or liquid which is preferablysupbodying the invention; plied in the form of a spray but which mayFig. 2 is an elevation as Viewed from the be merely a stream of liquiddelivered under right of Fig. 1; suitable pressure. In apparatus of thiskind Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the device shown it is desirable toprovide for the use of both in Fig. 1; a cold and a warm stream of fluidor liquid, Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section since both may berequired under varying taken on line 4a-4a of Fig. 1 showing theconditions of treatment. Water or other arrangement of valves forcontrolling the li id may b u ed in flushing or cleansing fluidpassagesleading to and from the liquid th th d the present apparatus isdehOlCliIlg conmlnel; signed in a manner to permit of a quick Fig. 5 isa somewhat similar view with change from liquid of one temperature tovalves adjusted to a different position; th t of another wheneverdesired.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line Referring to the drawings, 10represents a 6a6a of Fig. 4:; hollow bracket having a verticallydisposed v Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line portion 11arranged for attachment to a suit- 7 a-7 a of Fig. 5.; able support suchas the frame or column on therein is the fluid holding containerembodying the upper and lower sections 16 and 17,

the latter being threaded to receive the former. The upper section whichforms a closure for the lower section is provided with an annularshoulder which rests on and is supported by the flange 15 of thereceptacle 14, Figs. 11 and 12. The receptacle at its lower end isprovided with an inwardly extending flange 18 located justbeneath thebottom of the fluid holding container. Depending from the flange 18 arestuds 19, Fig. 9, which are threaded On theirlower ends to receive thecorrespondingly threaded nuts 20, the shank portions'of which projectthrough openings in the shelf 12 of the bracket and the heads of whichrest thereon. The nuts serve to clamp the shelf and the casing 13 oneupon another, the studs 19 operating to exert a downward pull on thereceptacle 14 thereby holding the flange 15 in clamping engagement withthe upper end of the casing.

The means for heating the fluid holding container preferably comprisesone or more a electrical resistance windings or coils 21 located withinthe space between the casing 13 and receptacle 14 and surrounded bysheets of insulating material 22, Fig. 11.

Projecting upwardly from the base 12 is a pair of lugs 22 carrying aswitch plate 23 formed of insulating material and upon which is mounteda pair of contacts 24 se- 'cured by binding posts 25 the lower ends ofwhich project beneath the switch plate. A

lead 26 extends between one of the binding posts and the heating coiland the other lead 27 extends between the coil and a socket member 28 onthe bracket, Fig. 9. A short connection 29 extends between the otherbinding posts on the switch plate and a socket member 30 locatedopposite the socket member 28. The sockets 28 and 30 are mounted on asupport 31 of insulating material which is connected with a rib 32 ofthe bracket 10 by means of screws 33. The

socket members are adapted to receive suitable connections leading froma currentsupply source (not shown) -Means is provided for automaticallyopening and closing the circuit when the temperature of the fluid in thecontainer rises above or falls below a predetermined degree, whereby thefluid is retained at the desired temperature under varying conditions ofoperation. Thls means is 1n the form of a thermostat of any suitabletype and is de;

signed to be set for breaking the circuit at varying degrees oftemperature within the heating chamber in which it is positioned. Thethermostat is indicated generally at 34 and is carried on the bottom ofthe fluid holding container in an enclosing annular wall 35 having lugs36 thereon for receiving the screws 37 whichsecure the supporting mempreferably formed by bending spring-like materialupon itself to affordthe spacedvertically disposedportions 24a. which grip'the fingers 39when the latter are forced downwardly between said portions upon properpositioning of the fluid holding container within the receptacle 14. Thefingers 39 are detachably held upon lugs 40 on the bottom of thethermostat by screws 41 as shown in Figs. '10 and 11.

Means is provided for insuring proper insertion of the depending fingers39 between the spaced portions 24a ofthe contacts 24 when positioningthe fluid holding container within the receptacle 14. To this end theflange 18 of the receptacle is provided with a pair'of oppositelydisposed openings 42 forthe downward passage of the lugs 36 on thebottom of the container. When inserting the container within thereceptacle the lugs if not in registry with the openings will engage theflange and prevent further downward movement of the container until itis rotated to'bring the lugs opposite the open ings. During suchrotation the contact fingers 39 will be above the upper endsof thecontacts 24 and will thereforeclear the same. lVhen the lugs are broughtinto registry with said openings the contact fingers will also be inregistry with the openings between the spaced portions 24a of thecontacts 24 and upon lowering the container with the parts in thisrelationship the fingers will move downwardly within the. contacts 24 tobe gripped by the latter. Removal of the container is readily effectedmerely by lifting it from the receptacle without rotation so that thelugs 36 will remain in registry'with the openings 42 to be drawntherethrough and upon raising the container the contact fingers willdisengage the contacts 24.

Means is provided for locking the container within the receptacle 14 inorder that it may be rigidly held in proper position therein. This meansis mounted in the head or upper section 16 of the container andcomprises a plurality of locking pins 43 mounted in horizontallydisposed openings within the head radiating from the center thereof. The

'outer ends of the pins are sharply pointed at .44 whereby theywill moreeffectively bite the screw in the proper direction its beveled end 46will serve to spread or move the locking pins outwardly into lockingengagement with the wall of the receptacle thereby securely locking thecontainer within the receptacle.

Extending laterally'from the head of the container is an arm 48 carryinga valvecasing 49 in which is mounted a vertically disposed regulatingvalve 50 and a horizontally disposed outlet valve 51. Leading to theregulating valve are vertically and horizontally disposed passages 52and 53. respectively. The passage 52 is in constant c0mmunicationwiththe short tubular member 54 wlth which is connected a cold watersupply condult 55 arranged for connection with a suitable water supplysource under pressure. The cold water pipe is thus in constantcommunication with the container, the flow being through passages 52 and53 and the tube 56 within the container which is'arranged to dischargeat a point adjacent the bottom thereof. The warm'water passage;- 57leading from the container discharges through the valve 50 when thelatter is in the position shown in Fig. 4. The valve 50 is provided witha stem 58 on the upper end of which is an operating handle 59 having abearing portion 60 rotatable in a nut 61 threaded in the extension 62 ofthe valve casing 49, Fig. 6. The bearing portion is connected with thestem by a screw 63 threaded into the stem and extending downwardlythrough a. cap 64 on the bearing portion which is clamped in position bythe screw. The extension 62 is provided with a semicircular shelf-likeportion 65 on which is a plate 65a having upwardly projecting stop pins66 located in the path of the valve handle 59 and by which movement ofthe latter is limited to its extreme positions of adjustment asindicated in Figs; 4 and 5. The plate 65 has applied thereto the wordsCold and Tepid as shown in Fig. 3 for indicating the position to whichthe handle is moved in order that the valve will be adjusted to permiteither the cold or warm water to be used. The outlet passage 67 leadingvfrom the regulating valve isnormally closed by the valve 51 asindicated in Fig. 4. This valve operates in a chamber 68 communicatingwith a casing 69 in which is disposed a strainer or filter 7 0 for thefluid discharging to the nozzle head. Connected with the container '69are inner and outer flexible tubes or conduits 71 and 72 respectivelywhich are suitably connected with a combined hand grip and valve casing;73 on the outer end of which is a head 74 carrying the nozzle or spraypipe 7 5 A, valve within the casing73 (not shown) is operated bypressing the finger lever 7 6 inwardly toward the casing at which timethe fluid under pressure will flow through the head and the nozzle pipeattached *thereto, all of which parts constitutethe spray head.

The valve "51 is attached to theoperating stem 7 '1 therefor by means ofa ball and socket connection indicated generally at --72 whereby tobetter insure the proper seating of the valve under' all conditions ofoperation. Thestem is threaded at 73 within a packing nut 74 which is inturn threaded within the casing 49. Suitable packing -7 5 surrounds thevalve stem within the nut and the same is compressed by a member .76threaded within the outer endof the packing nut.

The operating means for thevallve stem 71 comprises an arm 77 having afork-377 at its outer end and provided at its inner end with an enlargedhead 7 8 recessed at 79 to receive the outer end of the packing nut 4and the member 7 6 thereon. The valve stem 71 projects throughthe head78 and is rigidly connected therewith by a memberSO clamped upon thehead by a screw 81 projecting therethrough and threaded into the valvestem as best shown in Fig. 4. The member has a beveled or wedge-shapedportion 82 cooperating with a similarly constructed wedge portion 83 onthe outer end of the valve stem whereby to insure rotation of the stemwhen the-operating handle 77 is swung between its extreme positions toopen and close the valve 51. The outer end of the head 78 is notched orserrated at84 and the inner face of the member 80 is likewise serratedat 85 whereby under the clamping action of the screw 81 loosening ofsaid parts is prevented and a better gripping action between the sameis'afforded.

The packing nut 74 is provided with a cylindrical bearing port on 86 onwhich is rotatable the sleeve-like portion 78 of the valve stemoperating head 7 8. The bearing portion 86 is reduced at'87 to receive afriction brake comprising a semi-circularspring W 88 on which is mounteda brake element 89 the hollow portion of the head 78. It will be seentherefore that the friction brake serves to. hold the operating arm 77in any position to which it is moved.

The spray head may be employed to move the operating arm 77 either toopen or close the valve 51. IVith the arm in the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 2 the valve will be open and in the full line position itis closed. By referring'to Fig. 14: it will be seen thatupon grippingthe valve casing 73 of the spray head and moving it upwardly theshoulder 74? will engage the bottom portion of the fork 77 and-thatcontinued upward movement of the head will swing the operating arm tothe dotted line position in dicated. IVhen it is desired to closethe-valve 51'the spray head is inserted within the fork of the arm andis then drawn downwardly to the full line position shown in Fig. 2,during which time the ball shaped portion of .the head will be inengagement with the upper face portion of the fork as shown in Fig. 14.The extent to which the valve 51 may be opened will of course depend onthe position to which the operating arm 77 is moved by the spray head,it being understood that the arm may be swung to a number of diiferentangular positions to effect rotation of the screw 73 on the stem 71 andthe consequent movement of the valve 56.

The flexible conduit connecting the spray head with the fluid holdingcontainer is formed of inner and outer tubes 71 and 7 2, the latterserving to protect the former and thereby increasing the life of thesame. The

manner of attaching these tubes to the cas ing 69 is best shown in Fig.13. In this view a coupling 91 has its lower end projecting into theends of the flexible tubes upon which .said ends are secured in anysuitable manner.

The coupling is provided with an annular flange 92 engaged by theinturnecl flange 93 of a nut 94 screwed upon the casing 69 to clamp theflange .92 upon a washer 95 for sealing the joint between the couplingand the casing.

In order to reduce the volume of liquid remaining in the nozzle tubewhen the valve thereon is closed, I employ a flexible nozzle tube havinga capillary opening therethrough for the passage of the fluid. Byemploying a capillary tube for this purpose the volume of cold water tobe discharged upon opening the valve, in advance of the flow of the warmwater through the nozzle, is considerably decreased. vIn other words thecapillary tube can be emptied in less time than a larger tube having agreater volume of water to be discharged therefrom and a saving of timeis thus afforded which is important in the various dental operationsincident to the treatment of the teeth.

In Figs. 15 and 16 I have shown a modified device for preventingrelative movement between the operating arm 77 and the outer portion 83of the valve stem on which the arm is mounted. In this modificationinstead of placing the serrations on the outer end of the head 78 theyare located within the head as indicated at 85 in Figs. 15 and 16. Thecooperatingserrations 84' are located on the wedge member 82 whichcooperates with the inclined; portion of the valve stem 83 to lock thesternand the head of the operating arm together. The remaining partsassociated with the head are the same as disclosed in Figs. 4 and 6 andhave been given corresponding reference characters.

I claim as my invention: v

1. In a device of the class described, a closed container for holdingfluid under pressure having separate inlet and outlet passages, aconduit connected with the inlet passage, a flexible tube connected withthe out- 7 let passage, a nozzle connected with said tube, a valve forclosing the outlet passage having an operating arm connected therewitharranged to receive and support the nozzle and a second valve arrangedin one position to close the inlet passage and to establish directcommunication between said conduit and the outlet passage and serving inanother position to establish communication between the conduit and theinlet passage.

2. In a device of the class described, a closed container for holdingfluid under pressure having separate inlet and outlet passages and asupply passage leading to the inlet passage, a flexible tube connectedwith i the outlet passage, a nozzle on the flexible tube, a valve on thecontainer for closing the outlet passage, a second valve on thecontainer arranged in one position to close the inlet passage and toestablish communication between the supply passage and-the outletpassage, an electrical heating device for the container arranged forconnection with an electric circuit and means associated with saidheating device for automatically breaking the circuit when the fluid inthe container is heated to a predetermined temperature.

3. In a device of the class described, a

closed container for holding fluid under pres sure having separate inletand outlet passages, a conduit connected with the inlet passage, aflexible tube connected with the out let passage, a nozzle connectedwith said tube, a valve for closing the outlet passage having anoperating arm connected therewith arranged to receive and support thenozzle, a second valve arranged in one position to close the inletpassage and to establish direct communication between said conduit andthe outlet passage and serving in another posi- .7

combination of a container for holding fluid under pressure having inletand outlet passages, a flexible tube connected with the outlet passage,a nozzle on the tube, a valve for closing the outlet passage, anoperating member for the valve arranged to receive and support thenozzle, an electric heating unit for the container arranged to beconnected with an electric circuit and a thermostat associated with theheating means for breaking the circuit when the fluid in the containeris heated to a predetermined temperature.

5. In a device of the class described, a closed container for holdingfluid under pressure having a fluid inlet passage terminating below thetop of the container and a fluid outlet passage leading from thecontainer at a point above the discharge end of the inlet passage, aflexible tube connected with the discharge end of the outlet passage, anozzle on the outer end of the tube, a valve movable to two differentpositions forconnecting either the fluid inlet passage or the fluidoutlet passage with the flexible tube, means for indicating when saidvalve is in said different positions, a second valve for closing theinlet end of the flexible tube whereby to relieve the pressure withinthe tube and operating means for the second valve forming a support forthe nozzle and arranged for movement thereby to open and close thesecond valve.

OSCAR H. PIEPER.

